Twin Cities Deli Smackdown

Can local delis deliver on the classics?

DON'T WORRY, we’re not going to rehash the age-old questions, debate the merits of Mort’s, or parse the kishke at Rye. We sent Adam Platt and his team of fressers out to identify a handful of deli classics and see how our classic delis throw down.

= The Best

= Oy Vey!

Chicken Soup with Matzo Ball

Textbook Jewish chicken soup has a heady, rich chicken flavor, a modicum of vegetables, a bit of salt, and a little fat for richness. Matzo balls are an acquired taste but should have a bit of matzo flavor and a texture that’s not rubbery.

The Brothers Deli

Bland broth that one of our tasters thought tasted of soup base, woefully undersalted, but a crowd-pleasing matzo ball.

Cecil’s Deli

Plain, flavor and fat starved. One matzo ball was nice, the other gummy.

Crossroads Delicatessen

Lukewarm and crying out for salt, but a good chicken flavor and a lumpy matzo ball that had to have been made with love.

Rye Deli

Underseasoned, but a nice homemade quality.

Pastrami on Rye

The king of deli meats, pastrami kicks corned beef’s butt. Alas, very little of it is housemade in the Twin Cities. (Be’Wiched has a great version.) Essentials are a flavorful caraway rye and a proper proportion of mustard. (Pastrami makes a mean Reuben, too.)

Montreal-style “smoked meat,” a cousin of pastrami. Housemade. Delectable smoky goodness with a fantastic house hot mustard, which the kitchen often applies to excess. Portion can be less than generous.

Chopped Liver

A rustic, rough-hewn version of pâté. It’s best when melded with some fat or egg, onion, and seasoning. When it goes wrong, it’s sour and dry.

The closest to the textbook. Lots of meat, slightly crisp cabbage, and just a bit more sweet than sour.

Rye Deli

Thin, one-dimensional. We came all this way for this?

Corned Beef Reuben

The best Reubens are paragons of balance between slightly sour corned beef, piquant sauerkraut, savory Swiss cheese, and rich Russian dressing. We wish so many weren’t served open-faced, and we prefer caraway rye to the more ubiquitous local choice, pumpernickel.

The Brothers Deli

Nicely balanced, delicious housemade corned beef. Only demerit: Russian dressing was left off. Woulda been five stars, but you have to get the details right.

Cecil’s Deli

Overwhelmed by much sauerkraut and middling corned beef. I’ll be up all night. Stu, did you bring a Bromo?